What I Ate on Monday

Breakfast: Porridge with kefir and flax seeds and what not... oh so very filling.
Lunch at work: herb salad with a crunch - including pomegranate seeds and jicama, with self-made dressing... num!
Dinner: Leftovers from yesterday (see post below).

Root vegetable medley

My sisteroos came over on Sunday afternoon and we cooked together to the sound of neo-jazz/lounge music in the background. We always have a great time cooking together.
The creation is a root vegetable medley (only 106 calories per serving), consisting of turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, carrots, and pearl onions. It is dressed with a cumin seed, anise seed, nutmeg, cinnamon, paprika, rice wine vinegar, avocado oil, sea salt, agave nectar, and I am sure something else that I cannot remember.
It was soooooo delicious! Very earthy and autumn-y. Definitely something I'd want to make again.

Going way back...

Because our 50-year old washing machine started to die a slow and painful death, I had to take my weekly laundry to my mom's last night. She has a super-awesome Bosch unit. And while I waited for the laundry to finish, I decided to devote myself to my favorite past time: knitting. That's when my dad ran upstairs and brought down this picture, circa 1988/89. I was an already skilled knitter at a young age. In fact, I think I was 5 when the magic started. AND... even then I was knitting using the Continental method. I am so cool.
We also dug up another picture of me and my mama. She looks like a proper European model on this one. Can't believe she was younger here than I am today. I need to have a kid.

I was a skinny, tall kid. I think I must have been 3 or 4 here. Mom, do you know? I hated my summer pixie haircut. I looked like a boy. Plus, for some reason, I had no eyebrows as a kid. A regular Mona Lisa child, for sure.

Weigh-in Week 2

That's right, folks. I lost weight! 1.6 pounds, to be exact. That's 0.96% of my last weight. Yeah!

And it was thanks to exercise, exercise, exercise... and good eating. The zucchini I bought at the farmers' market turned out as "spaghetti" together with some red peppers from my garden. It was delicious.And of course, I had those hard-boiled farm-fresh eggs with my heirloom tomato salad drizzled with olive oil, basil, and sea salt.
My goal is to lose 0.5 to 1.5 pounds each week, so this week was excellent. Just hope I can do this again. I must admit, I did slip a few times last week. I didn't exercise as much because of the teeth issue, and I broke down and ate some bad stuff here and there. I can no longer do that.
Let's hope for good health and results for the next weigh-in.

Oh boy! So much going on!

Saturday was a fun- and stuff-filled day. After the farmers' market, hubby and I took our pup to the vet for his ear infection checkup. He just gets so excited and hyper. Can't you tell by my husband's face?
Next, sisters and I spent the day at the mall buying clothes and getting my haircut. Below is my new haircut. Low-maintenance... I like it.Once at home, I got to show my hubby my new haircut and my loot. He high-fived me. That's his way of complimenting me.
Oh, and today I got my newest Tosca Reno cookbook in the mail. Can't wait to try the recipes!
And, and... I got the newest issue of the Bust magazine in the mail, and on the cover were my girl-crush Ellen Page and this cute lil actress known as Alia Shawkat. I love them! I just had to show.
And now on to my loot. This one was on sale for around $4 at Gap.
And this one is from Aerie. Love the color.
New shoes! Brown, suede, kitten-heel, with a ruffle in the front. It will really go with all the brown stuff I bought.
And as you will see, there is a lot of it. I know some of you may cringe for the lack of color in my new wardrobe (B!), but I promise next time I'll throw in some non-neutral hues.
Here is a recycled material soft brown shirt with buttons on the shoulder detail from Gap.
And a long cardigan that I'll be able to throw over my summer stuff during this transitional season.
And a lovely tweed jacket... brown, of course.
Another brown shirt! Who would have thunk it? By the way, I am now downgraded to a size 10 in pants and jackets, and a Medium in shirts! I can't believe it!
My new, size 10 real straight cut jeans from Gap. They are actually a tiny, tiny bit loose. Size 8, here I come!
Working out and eating right has really made so many positive changes in my appearance and confidence. I am more motivated than ever. As for my wallet... that's another story. :)

Locavore sisters

This morning, my sisters and I woke up early and headed to the DSM Downtown Farmers' Market. There they are, looking all cute, as always.
The earlier you go, the better. The crowds are sparse, and the vendors are stacked with the best, freshest produce. We also got to enjoy some bluegrass bands and talked to plenty of local farmers who were just super-friendly. I love Iowa.
Of course, my sisters and I cannot pass up ANY crêpe stand...ever. Here we had some Nutella Banana Crêpes. Yum! So rich and delicious, calories be damned.
And here is my loot of the day - small, tangy Harrison apples, farm fresh eggs, farm grown zucchini, heirloom tomatoes (a nice variety of different kinds) and a selection of oyster mushrooms.
We are going to have some good, nutritious meals this weekend.

Yummy!

My BFF came over on Thursday night for some lemon-pepper salmon, whole wheat angel hair pasta with a garlic/olive oil/parsley sauce, and our home-grown tomato and basil salad drizzled with olive oil and garlic. It was delicious. Oh, and we had sparkling water for drinks.Here, I tried to have them pose as if they liked each other. Turned out overly cheesy and insincere. Pathetic.

Oh, how I like being able to eat solid food. Surprisingly, my teeth are doing very well.

And last, but not least, I had to show you a chocolate that my dear cousin brought me from his vacation in Switzerland. Nobody makes chocolate like the Swiss. Nobody... And my cousin is awesome.And if you haven't noticed, this is only the wrapper that I tried to fold so it looked like the chocolate was still in there. The actual content is long gone.